Preparing Middle School Students for Testing Season
Emily Campchero and Molly Rhoadhouse
Table Of Contents
Drive student success with targeted, standards-aligned middle school test preparation
Standardized testing plays a significant role in education today. Test results influence school ratings, funding, teacher salaries, and the academic and career paths open to students. Nationwide, the stakes are high.
According to The Nation’s Report Card, eighth-grade proficiency levels remain concerning:
- 22% reach proficiency in civics
- 30% reach proficiency in reading
- 31% reach proficiency in science
- 14% reach proficiency in U.S. history
These scores reflect content-area learning gaps along with cognitive overload caused by limited exposure to technology-enhanced items (TEIs). These gaps underscore the importance of effective, standards-aligned test preparation, which helps students perform well on assessments while building deep, lasting knowledge in core subjects. Access to high-quality curriculum and middle school test preparation is an issue of educational equity, helping bridge the digital divide and expanding students’ opportunities for advanced coursework, scholarships, graduation pathways, and long-term economic mobility.
At Britannica Education, our middle school test preparation approach focuses on helping students clearly demonstrate what they know. We combine standards-aligned lessons, high-quality informational texts, and targeted practice with technology-enhanced items, including drag-and-drop, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and more.
Check out strategies from Britannica experts on how to prepare your middle school students for testing season.
Test Prep Guide for Social Studies, Science, and ELA
Our Test Prep Guide—available in the Expedition: Learn! Content Spotlight—offers classroom-ready strategies for middle school educators. The guide includes teaching tips, skill-building activities, and targeted resources designed to strengthen instruction and boost student performance in ELA, science, and social studies assessments.
Preview key assessment skills featured in the Test Prep Guide:
Social Studies and ELA
Practice identifying key information related to a central idea or conclusion.
Science and ELA
Analyze evidence and reasoning to support claims and scientific arguments.
ELA, Science, and Social Studies
Identify the main idea in informational texts.
Built-in Test Prep with Britannica Expedition: Learn!
Expedition: Learn! is Britannica’s all-in-one instructional lesson platform. Grounded in decades of research and evidence-based practice, lessons can be used for whole-class instruction, small-group reteaching, or independent practice.
Our Content Spotlights provide a sample of Expedition: Learn! and its transformative science, social studies, and ELA content. If you enjoy the Content Spotlights, learn more about how Expedition: Learn! helps students develop meaningful skills that they can use in and out of the classroom, all year long! Book a demo of Expedition: Learn today.
Prepare Your Students for Testing Season
Get practical, classroom-ready guidance with tips and resources designed to strengthen instruction and boost student performance across ELA, science, and social studies.
About the Author
Emily Campchero
Social Studies Lead Subject Matter Expert
Emily began her career working in Title I schools, specializing in gifted, MLL, and bilingual education. She has led teams to create content and curriculum at the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania and Teachers College–Columbia University as well as for public school systems such as the New York City and Florida departments of education and the Texas Education Agency. Emily holds a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Teachers College–Columbia University and a bachelor’s of science in International Trade and Marketing, with minors in Economics and Latin American Studies, from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
About the Author
Molly Rhoadhouse
Science Subject Matter Expert
After working in the field of molecular biology, Molly shifted her career focus to educational publishing. As an independent business owner for more than 20 years, she contributed to a vast number of products for clients such as McGraw Hill, Pearson/Savvas, and Twig Science. Molly joined Britannica in 2021, where she has led the Expedition: Learn science team since its inception. In addition to her degree in Life Science, Molly has a graduate certificate in Instructional Design from the University of Wisconsin.
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